1. Field of the Invention
A certain aspect of the present invention relates to an image processing apparatus utilization system including image processing apparatuses connected via a network and a method for the image processing apparatus utilization system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some network systems employ directory services (e.g., Active Directory). A directory service provides a searchable database containing information on users and devices such as printers and facsimile machines on a computer network such as a LAN. A document delivery system capable of centrally managing users and delivery methods may be implemented by using a directory service and a management server. Such a document delivery system enables an IT manager (or administrator) to register a “scenario” (information including scanning parameters, a delivery method, and a destination address) based on the apparatus information and status of a scanner or an apparatus (e.g., multifunction peripheral (MFP)) including a scanner that are being monitored by the management server and to register a user who is allowed to use the scenario. The user can scan a document using, for example, an MFP according to parameters specified in the scenario (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-087479).
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-087479 discloses an image scanning system. In the disclosed image scanning system, a scanner sends an input user ID via a network to a scanning server, and the scanning server sends scanning information corresponding to the user ID to the scanner if the user ID is registered in an internal memory of the scanning server.
However, with a related-art directory service, a scenario registered in a scanner or a management server can be used only from a specified apparatus. Therefore, to use the same scenario from another apparatus, it is necessary to register the scenario again. In other words, if an IT manager registers scanning parameters in a scanning server from a scanner, the registered scanning parameters can be used only from the scanner used for the registration. Therefore, the IT manager needs to register the scanning parameters in the scanning server for each scanner to be used.